17
Ranked Colleges
775
Degrees Awarded
$19,400
Avg Net Price*
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Music Performance Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking - to help you make that decision.
In 2020-2021, 7,335 people earned their degree in music performance, making the major the 116th most popular in the United States.
Across California, there were 775 music performance graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Music Performance Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 17 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in music performance. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great music performance programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the music performance program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
One Size Does Not Fit All
The music performance school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Music Performance Schools in California For Those Getting Aid”.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Music Performance Schools in California For Those Getting Aid.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Los Angeles. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Music Performance Schools in California For Those Getting Aid. Cal State LA is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 47 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal State LA also made our “Best Music Performance Schools in California” list, coming in at #16. The yearly cost to attend Cal State LA is $3,302 for California Music Performance students with aid.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Music Performance at Cal State LA
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Music Performance Schools in California For Those Getting Aid. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 27 ’s music performance degrees in 2020-2021.
UCLA also made our “Best Music Performance Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $15,023 for California Music Performance students with aid per year to attend UCLA.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full UCLA Music Performance Report
Out of the 17 schools in the Best Value Music Performance Schools in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fullerton landed the #3 spot on the list. Cal State Fullerton is a large school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 50 ’s music performance degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal State Fullerton also took the #12 spot in our “Best Music Performance Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $8,003 for california music performance students with aid per year to attend California State University - Fullerton.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Music Performance at California State University - Fullerton
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Long Beach. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Music Performance Schools in California For Those Getting Aid. California State University - Long Beach is a public institution located in Long Beach, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 122 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
CSULB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Music Performance Schools in California” list. It costs about $10,054 for California Music Performance students with aid per year to attend California State University - Long Beach.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Music Performance at California State University - Long Beach
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Northridge. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Music Performance Schools in California For Those Getting Aid. This large school is located in Northridge, California, and it awarded 76 ’s music performance degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california music performance students with aid list, CSUN has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Music Performance Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $8,523 for california music performance students with aid per year to attend California State University - Northridge.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Music Performance at CSUN
University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Music Performance Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Irvine, California, this large public school awarded 17 degrees to qualified ’s music performance students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Irvine, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Music Performance Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Irvine is $12,209 for California Music Performance students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full UC Irvine Music Performance Report
California State University - Sacramento ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Music Performance Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Sacramento is a large public school situated in Sacramento, California. It awarded 49 ’s music performance degrees in 2020-2021.
Sac State also took the #15 spot in our “Best Music Performance Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $11,178 for california music performance students with aid per year to attend California State University - Sacramento.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Music Performance at Sac State
With a ranking of #8, San Jose State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Music Performance Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in San Jose, California, and it awarded 27 ’s music performance degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at San Jose State, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Music Performance Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $16,542 for California Music Performance students with aid per year to attend San Jose State.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Music Performance at San Jose State
With a ranking of #9, California State University - Stanislaus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Music Performance Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. Stan State is a fairly large public school situated in Turlock, California. It awarded 9 ’s music performance degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Stan State, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Music Performance Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $6,566 for california music performance students with aid per year to attend California State University - Stanislaus.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Music Performance at Stan State
With a ranking of #10, San Diego State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Music Performance Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. SDSU is a large public school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 70 ’s music performance degrees in 2020-2021.
SDSU also made our “Best Music Performance Schools in California” list, coming in at #10. The estimated yearly cost for San Diego State University is $13,845 for california music performance students with aid.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full SDSU Music Performance Report
San Francisco State University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Performance Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. San Francisco, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s music performance degrees to 15 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SFSU, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Music Performance Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,459 for california music performance students with aid per year to attend SFSU.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full SFSU Music Performance Report
University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Music Performance Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #12. Santa Cruz, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s music performance degrees to 18 students in 2020-2021.
UC Santa Cruz also made our “Best Music Performance Schools in California” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend UC Santa Cruz is $17,930 for California Music Performance students with aid.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Music Performance at UC Santa Cruz
University of Southern California landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value Music Performance Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Southern California is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 37 ’s music performance degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california music performance students with aid list, USC has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Music Performance Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $32,569 for california music performance students with aid per year to attend University of Southern California.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Full USC Music Performance Report
University of Redlands came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Performance Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Redlands is a private not-for-profit institution located in Redlands, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 16 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Redlands also made our “Best Music Performance Schools in California” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for University of Redlands is $26,098 for california music performance students with aid.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Redlands Music Performance Report
Biola University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Music Performance Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #15. La Mirada, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s music performance degrees to 5 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california music performance students with aid list, Biola has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Music Performance Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Biola is $33,269 for California Music Performance students with aid.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Music Performance at Biola University
Chapman University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Music Performance Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. Orange, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s music performance degrees to 5 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california music performance students with aid list, Chapman has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Music Performance Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Chapman is $44,198 for California Music Performance students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Chapman University Music Performance Report
California Institute of the Arts landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Best Value Music Performance Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Valencia, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 13 degrees to qualified ’s music performance students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at CalArts, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Music Performance Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California Institute of the Arts is $56,876 for California Music Performance students with aid.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Music Performance at CalArts
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Notes and References
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
- *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
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